Open letter to members of the UN Security Council

Morocco’s response to the UN Secretary General, following his visit to the Saharawi refugee camps shows utter contempt for him, the UN Security Council and international law.

The Secretary General’s promise of increased UN commitment to the people of Western Sahara, whose territory has remained the subject of dispute since Morocco’s invasion 40 years ago, was met with outrage, demonstrations and demands for the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers; demands that, incredibly, were met.

Since the 1991 ceasefire, the UN Security Council has stood by, whilst Morocco obstructs, obfuscates and stalls the UN process. As a result, Western Sahara remains Africa’s last colony, its people brutalised and its resources exploited for Moroccan gain. This is a striking impairment of freedom and of international law. One thing is clear: no country in the world recognises Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara. It cannot be allowed to dictate the mandate of a UN Peacekeeping Mission in a Territory it does not control.

The people of Western Sahara have suffered 40 years of occupation, repression and exploitation. This is enough. The UN Security Council must finally set a date for the UN mission to deliver a referendum to provide for self-determination.

Signatures:

Mark Williams MP, Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara